Misery Loves Company
by TeaDanceMacabre
Summary: A Joker/OC romance. This is about a villain named Miss Fortune, who has been tormenting Gotham long before the Joker arives. When he does come to Gotham, Miss Fortune is top on his list of people to find...
1. Chapter 1

Misfortune

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Dark Knight" or any of it's characters (including the Joker unfortunately…) but I do own "Miss Fortune".**

Miss Fortune hummed lullabies to herself as she pulled on her tight and strategically torn black, leather mini-dress and her knee-length black, high-heeled boots. She slipped on her dark blue gun holster (complete with an attached purse for make-up and her video camera). She gazed into the mirror and plaited her bright red hair to one side and used hair-spray to keep it in place. She applied her usual equally bright red lipstick and black eyeliner around her green eyes. To finish off her face she added an infamous glittery blue tear to each cheek and grinned, remembering back to her first happy memory.

_She handed her unnaturally kind and friendly co-worker, Tanya, a note and waved goodbye as she left work and walked into the ladies toilets. The note read "Tanya, thanks for being such a good friend, meet me in the toilets in ten minutes, there's something I want to show you. Love and kisses, x". As she was waiting for Tanya, and another mystery guest, she styled her identity for the first time, blue teardrops, plaited bright red hair, and got changed into her skimpy outfit she had tailored especially. The last thing she did was fit a video-camera to the wall of the public toilets – just in time for Tanya's newly wed husband to walk in._

_He looked at her, wide-eyed before moving forward and advancing. She picked this particular day because she knew the police were in the room next door, discussing with her boss new measures of health and safety for Gotham's working environments. They clattered to the floor and she held him on top of her securely, whispering in his ear that no one would find out._

_Ten minutes had passed and Tanya opened the toilet door. Miss Fortune started screaming for him to get off and yelling for help, all the time holding him down. Tanya burst out of the toilets crying as the police barged in. She let go of him then, looking frightened and scared. Claiming rape. The police took him to court and he lost. She split a happy couple apart and got an innocent man sent to jail. She was impressed. As the police told her they'd be right back she took her camera off the wall and made sure all of it had been recorded. That night she replayed Tanya's heartbroken face over and over again._

Tonight she was going to do something much worse. Too many people knew her face now for her to trick many people, although occasionally, deluded men would be assured of her "good" intentions. No, the police wanted her now, so she had to be careful. She was lucky people recognised Miss Fortune's hair and make-up. It meant that dressing normally and wearing a wig allowed her to get close to her victims – and set up her cameras. The only person she had to worry about was Batman. The only other person in Gotham like her. Wearing a disguise, having a secret life. She loved to make him miserable. He blamed himself after every innocent person she killed. She knew, because she'd recorded it so many times. She never thought she'd have someone else to worry about…

She stepped out of the "out of order" public toilets and into the house next door. She hummed her lullaby as she walked up the stairs and into the room where she knew a newborn baby was sleeping. She lifted the child out of the cot and cradled her until the baby started to cry. This was her cue. She lifted her silver pistol out of its holster with one hand and took the safety lock off. She admired the customised teardrop on the side of her gun until the lights flicked on.

"Misfortune!" The pregnant woman gasped, then screamed as she saw her child held in the evil woman's arms. Miss Fortune pointed the gun at her.

"Call your husband and tell him to come home right now. If you dare to even hint that anything is wrong I'll shoot you and snap your baby's neck." Miss Fortune grinned, staring intently at the woman's face. She loved a live viewing even more than being able to repeat it on film.

When her husband arrived and came in to check on the baby, he found a gun held to his wife's head and his baby being held out of a window.

"Choose. Your child or your pregnant wife." She smiled innocently. His eyes moved back and forth from his wife to his child. "You have ten seconds or I'll kill them both." She sighed impatiently. She was nervous about Batman arriving. He was getting good at guessing her next victims. It annoyed her that she seemed to be so predictable – she had thought she was choosing her victims from random. Luckily, she'd spent years as a gymnast and received an agility from her hard work that had saved her life more than once.

"Kill the child." He muttered resentfully, looking away.

"Really? Because the child your wife is carrying belongs to her boss."

"No! Stop-" He yelled. Too late. The gun had been fired at the baby. The man looked in fury at his wife and shook her, then started attacking her. She kept her gun idly aimed in their direction, enjoying the fight immensely. His wife begged him to stop but he wouldn't, not until he heard Miss Fortune giggling as she sat on the window ledge.

"Honestly, some people will believe anything." She grinned as his face fell and his wife cowered in the corner. In a flash she returned her gun to its holster, jumped upward from the window and grabbed hold of the guttering, using it to pull herself onto the roof. She could hear the sound of the buttons being pushed on a phone pad and a broken man asking for the police. The show was over. She clung from the guttering, low enough to reach her camera, then dropped down onto the small tree below and ran.

She hid just out of sight and as she presumed, Batman arrived talking to Jim Gordon.

"Have you heard about the Joker? He's like Misfortune." Gordon asked, then continued to explain to Batman, "He paints his face and enjoys other people's misery. You should keep an eye out. He's insane."

"More insane than recording your victim's despair and watching it on repeat?"

"He paints the faces of his victims." Miss Fortune let out a slight giggle then stifled it.

"Gotham can't handle more insanity, Jim."

"We're doing the best we can."

Deciding to make a dramatic exit, Miss Fortune jumped up onto the low wall behind her and aimed her pistol. She crouched like a cat and remained silent until the door opened and out came the man and his timid wife. She fired the gun at his wife, killing her instantly, and ran. She cackled as she heard Batman pursuing her. He didn't catch her. She escaped again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Dark Knight" or any of its characters (including the Joker unfortunately…) but I do own "Miss Fortune".**

Let me know what you think of the story and whether I should write more.

* * *

Miss Fortune crept back into her small, crummy "house" – if you could call it a house – wearing her brown wig and make-up removed. She was on a high after escaping from Batman again; she loved the thrill of a chase.

She decided to plug her video camera into her old television so she could watch the wife's face over and over again. There was something fulfilling about knowing she was watching the last moments of the woman's life. She turned the TV on and the news came up whilst she went to get the lead to plug in her camera.

"Gotham has a new villain, possibly crazier than Miss Fortune. Although it is suspected that Miss Fortune uses another alias by day, it has been confirmed that the Joker makes no attempts to hide himself and will therefore be easier to catch. Police say, 'we doubt he is as slippery as Miss Fortune and we expect to catch him within the week. Citizens of Gotham have no need to panic, just be cautious of him.'

"Comforting words from the police, here is a picture of the Joker. Also, citizens are warned to be cautious of anyone wearing a clown mask as they may be working for with him."

Miss Fortune wandered back into the room holding the lead but stopped in her tracks as she started at the TV and the eyes of the Joker stared back. In the picture he had a huge grin on his face, accentuated by scars running along each cheek. She had to give credit to him; he'd gone further with his appearance than she would with her own. She wondered how he got his scars, suspicious that he carved them himself. She could see clearly that people were underestimating him. He was obviously a genius in her eyes. She wanted to wipe that grin off his face. It would be the highlight of her collection. The TV's warning was blocked out by her own thoughts. She knew he wouldn't get caught anytime soon. She knew from the confidence in his smile and his eyes. The screen returned to the news presenter but she was tired of listening to his droning voice. She plugged in her camera and turned the volume on high – dancing around the room to the sounds of torment coming from the speakers.

After watching the scene twelve times she turned it off and set up her usual safety measures (an electric shock issued to anyone that touched the door or windows) and then she went into her room. She put away her outfit and wig, and settled down to dream about something – anything – she could use against the Joker.

She decided to devote the next day to finding out as much about the Joker as she could – that is, until she came across an opportunity she couldn't miss.

She heard a hushed conversation taking part at the end of an eerie alleyway. You'd think that anyone wanting to talk in private wouldn't do it during the daytime and in public. However, no one on Gotham was stupid enough to wander too close to the alleys, and no criminals were stupid enough to have meetings after dark – not when Batman was stalking the streets. Well, almost no one. She, and she guessed the Joker too, didn't fear Batman. In fact, she felt sickened by the people who did. How weak the criminals of Gotham were. Thankfully, she was different.

She jumped silently onto the wall and carefully prowled along it, making sure she didn't attract any attention.

"Please, please! I'll get the money!" A man begged.

"We've given you enough time." A man with a lower voice replied, and nodded for the men behind him to attack.

"No! Just one last chance, please! You want the money. I can get it by tonight! Just give me until tonight!"

The other man sighed. "We'll meet you at your home. When it's dark. You'd better not give us any trouble or I swear your body will be scattered all over Gotham."

The whimpering man scurried away, back to his home and Miss Fortune followed him, whilst remaining just out of sight. She decided that the transaction would take place in the living room, which allowed the mobsters an easy escape if things got nasty. Which they would. She scaled the house, looking for windows and when she found the one she preferred (at the side of the house, away from the front door) she set up her camera swiftly, making sure that the man couldn't see her from the kitchen. Then she left, to get changed and make herself ready for the night she planned ahead.

She listened to the news as she painted the teardrops on her face again. Tonight, the story was about the murders she caused yesterday.

"Miss Fortune has sunk to an all-time low as she murdered a baby and a pregnant woman right in front of the father and husband and not only that but in front of Batman as well. She escaped again and we have to ask ourselves, who is she? One thing is certain; she is a danger to all of us, no matter who you are. If you are someone that needs something or someone that loves something you are a target and should take every precaution necessary to ensure your safety and the safety of those you know." The male reporter warned.

She snorted. She had half a mind to wreck his life, just to destroy his more-important-than-you attitude. She didn't doubt that she could get him to lose his job but she didn't think he was worth the effort – his face wasn't interesting in the least.

She let herself out of her house, seeing as her victim lived on the same street she didn't have far to walk. People in the rundown area she lived in pretended not to be home so there were no lights on and no one peaking out from behind their heavy curtains. It's what made it the perfect place for her to live without being bothered. She snuck in through the window she'd chosen and left ajar. The man was in the kitchen, pouring himself a large whiskey. Miss Fortune went straight towards a briefcase lying on the floor, knowing it would contain the money and went to pose on the window ledge, and wait for the man to come in. She wasn't disappointed. He gasped and started yelling and crying, searching the room for the briefcase – until he heard the click of the safety being taken off a gun. A small pistol to be exact. He turned with his hands raised in the air and a petrified expression.

"_Please_." He said.

"What's your name?"

"Henry." He spluttered. Miss Fortune could tell he was desperate for the money – his eyes never left the briefcase.

She had to make it brief – for it to work perfectly the mobsters couldn't see her.

"You know what they say," She told him with a malicious grin, "Money can't buy happiness."

She undid the catch on the case and the money flew away with the wind, being scattered all over Gotham. The man looked like he was going to have a nervous breakdown. He collapsed to the floor and sat there, shaking his head and mouthing some words to himself. Tears flowed down his face. She threw a dollar in his direction and he stared at it, seeming to become even more distraught. She cackled and escaped through the window. A few seconds later she heard a banging on the door and then the door being kicked down. It was almost impossible for her not to look and see the emotions on their faces but she couldn't, she convinced herself that it would be something for her to look forward to.

"Where's the money?" The main guy demanded.

"You have to believe me, I had it. I had it in a briefcase! But Miss Fortune, she came and she let the money fly out of the window. Honestly, please I had it-"

"I've heard enough." The guy said and the only other thing that could be heard was Henry begging and screaming until he stopped making noise all together. She heard the sound of the mobsters running away and jumped back through the window to retrieve her camera. She was about to leave – she was dying to watch the recording – but she couldn't get rid of the annoyance she felt that those mobsters were going to take credit for the man she'd taken apart. She took the paint she used for her teardrops out of her purse and painted in big letters "MISS FORTUNE x" across the wall before running back to her house.

When she was home she immediately plugged her camera in, ignoring the documentary on the screen. She savoured the man's tragic expression as he begged for his life. He was killed with a knife after being beaten up, just like she'd guessed. Instead of watching it repeatedly however, she turned onto the news. She wanted to try and find out more about the Joker. Unfortunately, it was just a repeat of the story about her murders. However, at the end there was a piece of good news. This was rare in Gotham so she listened intently.

"Bruce Wayne found several cases of drug trafficking and other illegal businesses thanks to his ownership of Wayne Enterprises and reported them to the police. Over thirty men are now in jail for illegal activity and he is celebrating by holding a dinner party at his house for the citizen's of Gotham and asks that if you do not have any other plans you attend, tomorrow night at eight p.m." The news reporter said and then gave the address.

The opportunity to make Bruce Wayne himself depressed was too good for Miss Fortune to reject. That night she went to bed but she couldn't sleep. She was too excited. She wanted to take down a good number of people and frame Bruce Wayne, putting him in prison with the rest of the scumbags he had thrown in there.

And she wasn't going to wear a disguise. She had enough confidence in her ability to believe that she could get in, record her success and escape before Batman would catch her. She hadn't had a challenge like this in ages and she doubted one would arise again anytime soon, so she would make the most of it. She knew she wouldn't be able to search the building and find her way around without getting caught so she'd improvise when she was there. She hadn't been this excited about a plan in a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Dark Knight" or any of its characters (including the Joker unfortunately…) but I do own "Miss Fortune".**

I just wanted to say a big thank you to every one that's reviewed or has added me to their alert list, it means a lot!!

Miss Fortune woke up early and had a shower. She couldn't contain her excitement as she skipped around the room and put on her black leather dress. She had time to kill even though she'd woken up late so she chose a compilation of her videos that she'd made herself. It was all the different clips of Batman she'd filmed and she watched his angry, disappointed face from different angles and in different scenarios. She sung a lullaby as she danced around the ancient TV, occasionally cackling at times when he'd lost his temper and scared her victims further.

When the film finished over an hour later she crashed on her broken sofa and put it on repeat. When she lay there she started to notice the similarities between herself and Batman. The secret identity was the main one but also the way that they only really cared about each other. Of course, she cared about misery and he cared about helping people but really it was just a game between the two of them. The people that she selected were just pieces on the board. Really, it was just a challenge for both of them. Tonight would be the biggest challenge of them all. She knew he'd be there tonight, either in his disguise or hiding somewhere upstairs. She knew that she might find out who he is, because if he suddenly appears when she does then the person that temporarily leaves the party must be him. She'd have to try and memorise everyone.

Then she started to wonder about the Joker. She guessed they'd be practically identical, they wanted the same thing and both attracted Batman's attention. They stood out with their disguises and evil. The other criminals of Gotham were pretty pathetic but she and the Joker were different. Strange that they weren't a part of each other's game yet. She was torn between destroying him and… helping him? She didn't know. She had always worked alone but she couldn't get his face out of her head. If she destroyed him she doubted the footage of his face would never be enough. One moment of misery. She wanted more. She just couldn't decide what she wanted more _of_. Maybe just someone to talk to.

As she was thinking, another idea struck her. She wondered what would happen if there was a power cut in all of the hospitals in Gotham. She'd have to remember that one. She couldn't wait any longer. She plaited her shocking red hair and painted her teardrops on her face, then did her red lips and black eyes. Finally, she pulled on her black boots and then realised she had no idea how to get there without being seen. Even the people on her street were creeping out of their houses to go. She thought for a moment, then grabbed her phone and dialled the number for Gotham's limo service. They were eager to pick her up, seeing as not many people in Gotham could actually afford a limo. Then again, some people didn't need to.

It pulled up on the corner of the street and she was already stood outside waiting, she didn't want him to see where she lived. She got into the back and the limo driver pulled the blackened divider down so that he could make sure she could afford it. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Miss Fortune. She pointed her gun at him.

"Drive and you can keep your life. Believe me; I could drive this thing myself quite easily." She threatened. He gulped and nodded, shakily putting it into gear and setting off.

"Going to Mr Wayne's then?" He asked.

"Yes. By the way if you even think about alerting anyone to me then your family will end up in shreds all over your house. Okay?"

"Yes Miss." He replied and was silent for the rest of the journey. She sat back and enjoyed the ride, helping herself to the champagne labelled "$78". It just made her gigglier.

"So Jeff, are you going to this party then?"

"It's Larry. And, er, yeah I was going to after taking you there."

"I'll be sure to leave you alone then, Jeff. If you can keep your mouth shut."

He turned around to make sure she actually was talking to him. "Larry." He told her.

He pulled up in the drive, among the sea or cars dumped and scattered along it. She stepped out and Larry got out after her.

"Good man, Jeff." She said, patting him on the shoulder. He didn't dare correct her again so he just nodded and walked towards the house. She bent down low and crept around the back of the house. The only noise she could hear was the murmur of conversation from inside. She peeked through each window into the huge ballroom and wondered which way would be best to enter. She tiptoed across the huge lawn, deciding on the window in the far corner – it seemed to be the most empty. She stepped forward, ready to make her entrance, when something held her back.

A hand wrapped tightly around her arm. She gasped and spun around, ready to kick whoever it was in the face.

"I've been looking for you." The Joker laughed. It took her a while to remember how to speak.

"I'm busy."

"No. You're not." He told her. She raised an eyebrow, bemused. "Because, every policeman in Gotham is in there. And also, it doesn't look like you've realised you're walking into a trap."

"What are you talking about?" She hissed.

"Well, they've got… a _plan_." He nodded. "You see, they've been trying to catch you and never succeeded. It was embarrassing. So now they're going to catch you. And I know because I know the men he 'supposedly' had locked in jail and they're not in jail." He said, a smile coming onto his face. "What were you going to do?"

She looked down it his hand wrapped around her arm and felt a weird buzz that she hadn't felt before. She grinned. "Improvise."

He laughed at her, then fell instantly silent. He pulled her against the wall as someone came to look out the window. It was Bruce Wayne. The Joker put his hand over Miss Fortune's mouth until he walked away.

"How can you resist this? There are so many people…" She said, looking through the window again.

"We're going to have our own party." He smiled, laughing a high-pitched laugh that made Miss Fortune shiver. She allowed herself to be dragged away. He put his arm over her shoulder, no doubt trying to make them fit in. It hadn't worked.

"MISS FORTUNE!" Someone screeched, quickly followed by a lot of screaming. The Joker pushed her roughly into the back of the limo as the police came swarming out. He laughed as he drove away and the police tried to pursue in their cars. Unfortunately, for them their cars had been blocked by everyone else's. They growled angrily, staring after the black limo as it zoomed away.

It suddenly dawned on Miss Fortune that she'd practically allowed herself to be kidnapped by the Joker. She grabbed an even more expensive bottle of champagne and drank it, not bothering with a glass.

"What's this about?" She asked.

"It's about… you and me." He replied. "By the way, that dress has got to go. You're classier than that."

She didn't say anything because she agreed. She suddenly felt self-conscious –something else she'd never felt before. She didn't like these new emotions, they made her feel weak. She took another swig from the champagne bottle, then handed it to the Joker before using the open sunroof to swing herself into the front seat. The Joker grinned, pouring the champagne from the bottle into his mouth.

"You don't seem scared." He pointed out.

"Neither do you." She retorted and the Joker licked his lips. After about an hour, she heard the crunch of gravel as they pulled up into another drive.

"Where are we?" She asked, as she felt another buzz of excitement.

"Welcome home." The Joker replied. They stood outside the door for about five minutes as the Joker spent time deactivating all of his security measures. "Thanks for the limo." He laughed.

She laughed with him, "It was Jeff's."

He led her into a room with a deep purple carpet and messily painted green walls. In it was a long wooden table surrounded by chairs and a coal fire which he lit using petrol.

"You see, we want the same thing." He nodded. "We want… to hurt people. We want to play games. Now, the rest of the criminals in Gotham, they just care about money. But you and me, we know, it's not about money. It's about putting the people of Gotham in their place. It's about… Batman, and the police, and their so called _plans_. It's about showing them how pathetic their little schemes are."

Miss Fortune's heart thudded and she grinned. Finally, someone who understood Gotham like she did, someone she could have a real conversation with.

"Now so far, you've been working on a small scale. I mean, so have I. But… _together_…" He paused and licked his lips, "We'd be unstoppable. I've watched you and the way you shot that woman right in front of him… we've got so much potential. Working separately, we're easier to control. I mean, if I hadn't stopped you, you'd be sitting in jail tonight."

Miss Fortune thought about everything he was saying. The idea of working with the Joker gave her a thrill but he made her weaker. When she felt excitement or happiness it was always because of the idea of destroying someone but now she gets excited just by being near him. It made her like everyone else. Vulnerable. Perhaps one of her most fatal flaws, she could never pass up an opportunity. Never stay at home and imagine all the torment she could have caused. She had to do it. That was why she _had_ to go to Bruce Wayne's tonight. But she didn't. Because the Joker changed things. Now, she had to be here.

"Alright." Miss Fortune replied, "Let's work together."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Dark Knight" or any of its characters (including the Joker unfortunately…) but I do own "Miss Fortune".**

I just want to say a really big thank you for the people who add me to their alert list – ChocolateButtons, Harley Quinn14, JrAoCbKiN, Spirit-Release, x-BaByBuBbLe-x, and voice of the meadow and also a big thank you to SeleneIsTheJoker'sGirl (I know I've written your username wrong but no matter how many times I change it, it just comes up with .') and werewolf666vampire who always review my chapters, thank you, you keep me writing!!

Also an apology, I'm doing A levels and my school try and make sure we get no free time, I try and write as often as I can but that means I often have to write a chapter in bits so it can take a while to publish, please bear with me :)

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Miss Fortune woke up early and got herself some breakfast, after getting dressed, plaiting her hair and applying her make-up and tear drops in the usual way. She was waiting for a delivery from the Joker. He said something about designing an outfit but had been vague and didn't ask for her preferences so she had no idea what was about to come. She turned the news on and at first it was just boring stuff about Dent and Rachel celebrating something to do with politics, nothing interesting. She finished her breakfast and was about to get a recording from her selection when she heard her name mentioned on the TV so she sat back down on her falling-apart sofa and watched. A picture of herself with the Joker's arm around her appeared in the corner of the television, next to the reporters face.

"Miss Fortune and the Joker were spotted at Bruce Wayne's party last night. They were caught fleeing the premises and the guests that spotted them claimed they were 'caught in an intimate position and left the party together'. The question everyone wants to know is, are the Joker and Miss Fortune working together? Is it even possible that they are in a relationship? The police are very concerned about this as, yet again, no one managed to catch either of them. The limo-driver, Larry Peterson, was questioned and said "She seemed happy enough' but would not give any other details, including her whereabouts." There is more reason to take caution now than ever. If the Joker and Miss Fortune have formed a duo then Gotham will be facing far worse dangers. Do not venture outside your homes and take every measure possible to secure your family's safety. Do not take _any_ unnecessary risks and try not to go anywhere on your own. These safety points were given to us by the Police Commissioner, Jim Gordon.

The reported was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Leave it on the step!" She called out. The person knocked again.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"I've got a delivery." A raspy voice replied.

"I said leave it on the step." She replied, slightly more angrily. There was a pause. A knock at the door.

Miss Fortune sighed, grabbed her pistol and took the safety off before opening the door. She was about to drag the man inside and shoot him until she saw his clown mask.

"Er… Come in." She said and the masked man walked into her house. "Do you work for the Joker?"

"Uh-huh. This is for you." The man with the raspy voice replied.

She took it off him and walked into her bedroom, locking the door behind her. She sat on her bed and opened the white box in front of her. She didn't know whether to grin and dance around the room or push it aside and tell the man to leave – simply because what she saw made her feel weird. Too happy. She put it on anyway. She took off her boots and dress and pulled on a pair of bright purple shorts with four Frankenstein-style stitch marks on the right side. The Joker must've noticed that her holster hung to the left. She then pulled on a Basque-T-shirt style top. The T-Shirt was purple, with short, puffy sleeves and a large v-neck that was laced together with black ribbon. The v-neck stopped at the part of the top that went around her waist and was fitted to her body-shape. It was bright green, with three more Frankenstein-style stitches running down the middle of the green section. Finally, she pulled on a pair of bright green boots that also laced up with black ribbon. She looked at herself in the mirror and blushed – another thing she'd never done. She didn't know how to feel. It made them look more like a pair. She could understand that he wanted them to be seen as a combined force officially but…

She looked at herself from every angle and realised what the problem was. It wasn't the outfit; it was the fact that it made her feel like she was his. The clown man banged on her bedroom door.

"Are you ready? The boss wants to see you." He asked impatiently.

Miss Fortune yanked the door open aggressively. "He's not your only boss anymore, and don't you forget it."

"Yes, ma'am." He muttered uncomfortably, they both stepped out of the house and towards the same limo as last night when the man in the clown mask got a call on his cell phone. He listened and then hung up and turned to Miss Fortune.

"It was the Joker. He said bring everything you want to keep."

Miss Fortune started to ask why, when she heard the sound of police cars in the distance, she laughed incredulously and grabbed a plain black case, shoving all her clothes and toiletries inside after firstly making sure she had all of her film collection and video camera. She threw make-up in the case then zipped it closed hurriedly. She ran outside and flung her case in the limo and as she saw a police car turning the corner, and heard several others behind it, she jumped in as well and the clown man drove away before she had time to close the door.

When she arrived at the Joker's house the clown led her into what seemed to be the lounge. A fire was roaring again and it was dimly lit. It was decorated similar to the last room, with messily painted green walls and a deep purple carpet. This room was a bit smaller though and two velvet purple sofas surrounded the fire place.

The Joker was lying sprawled on the sofa. When Miss Fortune entered the room he stood up and looked her up and down, grinning widely.

"Oh, you are beautiful." He said, jokily smoothing his hair back and twirling her around so he could admire her costume. He held back a chuckle as he noticed her cheeks turn a faint pink. "And I thought it looked good on me."

She laughed at his joke as he turned away from her and to a television attached above the fire. "I thought you might want to see this". He said, grabbing a remote control and turning on the widescreen HD TV. It made her outdated, fuzzy TV look awful. She was electrically aware that his hand was still resting on the small of her back. She gathered all her strength to try and block out the excitement.

As he pressed 'play' on his DVD player a newsflash came up with a picture of her house on. The news reporter spoke,

"Two, reckless parents – in the kitchen whilst their child played at the window of a dangerous neighbourhood – actually contributed to pinpointing Miss Fortune's home. The toddler was playing with the curtains when he saw a masked clown outside. The child started laughing and his parents came to see what he found funny. When they walked into the room the child was reported as pointing at Miss Fortune and saying 'pretty clown girl'. The couple immediately called the police and they are on there way-" The news reporter put her finger to her earpiece for a long moment.

"News just in, as the police arrived, Miss Fortune was caught making her escape in a limousine. Her house has been emptied of all personal belongings and police have no evidence for where she could have gone next-" She put her finger to her earpiece again.

"Police found her boots and leather dress on the floor along with a brown wig and some bills addressed to a 'Miss Ledd' and… a white box signed 'J'. If anyone has any information on someone with the name 'Miss Ledd' then please get in touch with the police immediately."

The Joker moved his hand away as he turned the TV off. He turned to Miss Fortune with a serious look on his face. "We need to get to Dent".

She was honestly surprised she hadn't considered it before. She had to admit that Batman had been her only target. The more she thought about it now, the more perfect it seemed. The person in Gotham everyone looks up to as an inspiration of hope. Crumbling. The footage splashed all over the news, her and the Joker laughing gleefully… she was getting carried away. She couldn't help it though, she could almost taste the blood she would spill.

"He has all these plans and he thinks they'll save Gotham. We've got to show him what happens to schemers." He said, grinning and licking his lips. "I want to get to Rachel. We need a diversion to get the police off our backs, but my men can handle that. They've got to be together."

"We should threaten Rachel directly… say we're going to attack her at home. All the police and guards will surround they area and Rachel will be with Dent. Get your people to rig the security system and cause enough havoc to keep the police occupied and we can improvise from there."

The Joker laughed deliriously, "You're brilliant!"

Miss Fortune beamed, with a nasty glint in her eye, showing she was imagining Dent's heartbroken face. The Joker called his men in and told them what he wanted them to do and gave them the tools (mainly consisting of bombs) to do it. He had to keep threateningly reminding them to pay attention, as their eyes were on Miss Fortune lolling by the fire. After finally telling them he wanted it done at eleven o'clock that night he told them to go home and get ready, leaving just Miss Fortune and himself.

"So, it's just you and me." The Joker grinned. "Are you going to show me your film collection?"

Miss Fortune left to get all her recordings and arranged them in order from first to last then put the first one on when the Joker returned with popcorn. The Joker put his arm around Miss Fortune casually as the first one started playing. The familiar, triumphant scene of her 'best friend's' heartbroken face as her boyfriend got hauled away on rape charges brought the Joker to fits of laughter. The scenes went on, hundreds of them until the fire had died and it was pitch black outside and they'd both run out of popcorn. The only time Miss Fortune felt embarrassed was the one in which she'd lost her temper.

_Miss Fortune circled the man tied securely to a chair, watching with delight his girlfriend's mortified expression. His girlfriend was mortified because although Miss Fortune kept the gun against his head at all times – so his girlfriend wouldn't get any crazy ideas – he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. His eyes never left Miss Fortune as she stroked his face and neck and watched his girlfriend's eyes fill with fury and hate. His girlfriend swore repeatedly under her breath – not allowing any tears to show. It didn't matter; Miss Fortune knew they were there._

_She'd had enough fun and was about to shoot the man in the head when his girlfriend spat in her face and slapped her, calling her a whore. A deadly silence followed. Miss Fortune dropped her gun to the floor and grabbed the girl's head, smashing it as hard as she could against the bedroom wall over and over again, ignoring her boyfriend's yells and pleas, until the blood dripped onto the carpet and the girls' eyes had rolled back in her head. Miss Fortune threw the dead body onto the man strapped in the chair and started pacing, cursing the girl wildly and occasionally kicking her dead body hard._

_The man in the chair was screaming and begging, "LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!! LET ME GO, DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS, GET HER OFF ME!!" His voice became distorted by manic tears as he attempted to get himself out of his straps. "YOU'RE F***ING CRAZY!!" He screamed at Miss Fortune._

_She stopped pacing and glared at the man resentfully. "No, I'm not. I'm not." She answered in a lethal voice, picking up her gun and making to leave the room._

"_NO! DON'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE!! LET ME OUT! GET HER OFF ME!! SHE'S F***ING LOOKING AT ME!" The man screamed and yelled, flailing in his chair as an attempt to escape. In less than a second Miss Fortune had turned and shot the man and watched as his body fell silent against his girlfriend's. She retrieved her camera and left the couple lying together as the sound of police sirens echoed in the background._

The Joker watched the screen intently with a grin on his face. "Wow, and I thought I was bad".

"I need to go and find somewhere to live for a while, I need to get ready." Miss Fortune said, forcing herself to move out of the Joker's arms. The Joker stood up with her.

"You think you're going to find anywhere tonight? We're busy tonight and besides, the police are out everywhere looking for you. But if you want… you can get ready in my room." He chuckled.

Miss Fortune carried her case into the Joker's room and shut the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Miss Fortune is all mine but the rest belongs to Batman!**

Thanks to: Gabijaluvs2rite2, reader ninja, DramaQueen95 and Chrysothemis for adding this story to you're alert list, thanks to Gen3683icy for adding me to your favourite list and ryuzaki25 for reviewing!!! I don't know if this annoys people but I think it's only fair to thank people that show an interest because they keep me writing!! And I really appreciate it.

Also, for anyone that wants to see some really embarrassing drawings of how I imagined Miss Fortune's new outfit, type "Miss Fortune" into photobucket, there are two sketchbook drawings (one for detail and one for colour) that are on page 2 I think… don't worry they would look better on her in the story than they were on my drawing (and more realistic… and I can't draw people very well so don't think she has to look like that if you hate the drawing, it's not how I imagine her, it was just helping me think of some costume ideas) – but for anyone that would rather use their imagination, please feel free not to look!!

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It wasn't what she was expecting. His bedroom had a soft red carpet and white walls, with black sheets on the bed. She noticed something else. On the left corner of one of the pillowcases a bright green "J" had been embroidered. On the other pillowcase was a glittering blue teardrop.

The Joker sat on the sofa, his elbow idly propped on the arm of the chair as his other hand fast forwarded to different scenes of Miss Fortune's face. Happy, cautious, excited, dangerous, disgusted. He exhaled deeply as he watched how she reacted in various different scenes. He paused the collection on the scene where she lost her temper and the boy called her crazy. Her glare was so deadly and filled with heat and passion. No one realised her true potential. No one but him. He couldn't deny it was much more fun having her around. He smirked and licked his lips as he played the scene from the beginning.

When the Joker eventually walked into the room she was finishing adding the teardrops to her cheeks. She was lying on the bed, using a compact mirror to check that she looked perfect for tonight – it would possibly be the most important night yet. The Joker flipped up his mobile phone and dialled a number.

"Having fun?" He asked. He grinned to himself and put the one down. "Let's go."

They walked out to the limo together and the Joker put his hand roughly on Miss Fortune's waist to help her into the car. She shuddered with a hot thrill that she firmly decided was the thought of destroying Dent. He got in the other side and handed her a bottle of champagne from the diminished supply that still remained in the mini-fridge.

"We need to save some of those bottles to celebrate with tonight." He laughed, taking a swig from the bottle himself and then handing it back. They rushed through the streets of Gotham. No one paid attention; they were all screaming and fleeing. A few moments later they saw why. There was a huge explosion about two miles on the other side of the city – near Rachel's house. The Joker laughed loudly, exhilarated as he sped through the streets. Miss Fortune was occupied with watching all the faces of terror and fear, she wished she hadn't given her video camera to one of the Joker's men to set up in Dent's house; she would have loved to record this amount of chaos.

They soon arrived at Dent's house. There were no guard's – the Joker's men had tied them up and gagged them, so it was easy to get upstairs and into the highly secure office he was hiding in – or it would be, if the security devices hadn't already been cut off. They tiptoed up the stairs until they reached the office door.

"Get your pistol ready." The Joker breathed in her ear. She slowly reached for it and took the safety off. Miss Fortune put her ear against the door, listening for voices.

"I don't understand why they're after me." Rachel whimpered timidly.

"They're just after you to get to me. Don't worry, you're safe." Dent said, sounding more distant than Rachel.

"I heard the explosions." Rachel said, her voice getting louder accompanied by footsteps walking towards the door. "People will get hurt."

Miss Fortune gracefully and silently moved away from the door and nodded to the Joker. He kicked the door down and grabbed Rachel, quickly holding a knife to her throat.

"NO!" Dent shouted, running towards Rachel. Miss Fortune aimed and in less than a second had shot Dent in the leg. He tumbled to the ground and groaned through gritted teeth, trying not to let the pain show in front of Rachel.

"The thing about security guard's is that they never feel they're paid enough to do the job properly. You should hire some new staff." The Joker said. Dent shot the Joker a look of pure hatred as Miss Fortune hauled him onto his office chair and held the gun to his head.

"Hush." The Joker purred to Rachel, who was squirming under his grip. He held her face close to his. "She is radiant isn't she Dent?"

Miss Fortune felt her face becoming very hot. She had the odd urge to be sick. Her breathing got heavier as she tightened her grip on Dent, her hand balling into a fist. She kept looking away in disgust, only to look back again with rage.

"Look at me." The Joker said to her softly. "Do you want to know how I got these scars? Hmm? My mother was… ill. And she died. And the last thing she said to me was that she wanted me to make people happy. Make them laugh. Now, my mother… loved the theatre. So, I spent years practising, to be a comedian. When I auditioned they said… my smile wasn't big enough. They said I was too serious. When I got home that night, I took a knife and a needle and thread and carved a smile onto my face. I just wanted to make my mother proud. When I went back the next day… they all screamed at the sight of me. They ran away." He said, his voice getting more ferocious and his face getting closer to hers.

Dent was glowering and panting in pain. Miss Fortune was about to kill someone. The Joker's face had never been that close to hers. He'd never spoken to her in a soft voice. Her nails dug into to Dent's shoulder. He winced, but the pain of the bullet was worse. She breathed even more heavily, trying not to let her anger show but she had never, in all her life, hated anyone as much as she hated Rachel right now. She'd never glared at someone with as much pure malice and venom. She wanted Rachel to die. She couldn't stand her being near the Joker any longer. One move from the Joker was all it took to break her resolve. In one move all her fury broke loose.

He stroked her hair.

She had to laugh at the irony. The Joker made her as weak as her victims. There was only one difference – she wasn't weak.

Miss Fortune grabbed Rachel and dragged her over to the window. She gathered all her strength and kicked Rachel hard in the stomach. There were only three sounds: A scream of agony. The cracking of ribs breaking. And the sound of smashing glass as it shattered behind her and she fell down to the pavement below.

Miss Fortune watched Rachel fall and blushed heavily, feeling immediately embarrassed that she'd lost her self control. Luckily, she didn't have to turn around and have the Joker see the expression on her face. Dent lunged at her and they plummeted to the floor.

He yelled in anger and pain as he punched her repeatedly. He had her pinned down so that she couldn't move. He smacked and tore at her skin as Miss Fortune screamed with fury at being held down. The sound of the Joker laughing stopped Dent from grabbing the large shard of glass that hadn't fallen to the pavement below and carving Miss Fortune a smile like the Joker's.

"You truly are pathetic." The Joker said gleefully. For a heart stopping moment Miss Fortune thought he was talking to her. "It really is just an act. The White Knight of Gotham – everyone's ray of hope – crumbles just as easily as the next person when their emotions are attacked. You see, I knew how corruptible you were. You could have called the police but you decided to lower yourself to criminal standard and attack her yourself."

Harvey rolled off Miss Fortune and lay on the floor in a pitiable daze. He was crying.

"Come here." The Joker said to Miss Fortune once Dent had let her go. She walked over to him and he turned her around so that she could savour Dent's face, whilst wrapping his arms around her chest and kissing her sore, smudged cheek. This seemed to make Dent even worse.

"I loved her." He whispered, then began repeating it, becoming more hysterical each time. "I loved her… I LOVED HER… I LOVED HER YOU SICK FREAK! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT'S LIKE?!"

"No. I'll look forward to finding out." The Joker replied, licking his lips and stroking his scarred cheek against Miss Fortune's face. It was too much for Dent to take so instead he began whimpering Rachel's name and dragging himself over to the smashed window. He screamed for her but it was too late, she had died as soon as she hit the curb. He knew she was dead but it didn't stop him screaming her name to try and get some reaction. Eventually he dissolved into a crying mess on the floor.

"Come on." The Joker muttered into her ear. The Joker grabbed her camera and they walked out of Dent's huge house together – Dent didn't make any move to stop them. On the way down the stairs the Joker sent someone a missed call, letting it ring three times and then hanging up. It was less than a minute that a white minivan swerved around the corner and came to a sudden halt in front of them. The Joker helped her in and then climbed in after her, slamming the door behind them.

Everyone in the van was wearing a clown mask. The driver was concentrating on the road through his mask while the person next to him was giving him details of the broken body on the roadside. There were three more masked men in front of them, each turned around so they could face the person sat behind, next to the two empty seats that were now occupied by the Joker and herself.

"What's wrong cutie?" The man leered, sat on the other side of the van, on the row in front. "You look shaken up. Why don't you sit on my lap with me and the other boys? We'll cheer you up."

The other men on the row in front made overenthusiastic noises of agreement, beckoning Miss Fortune over and laughing boisterously. The Joker put his arm idly around Miss Fortune and gave the man who spoke a hard stare. The men all shared a look.

"Sorry boss." The man murmured. The guy he was sat next to shoved his arm and muttered something that sounded like "idiot".

"It's not as if you weren't imagining what I was." The first man said. The other guy cocked his head in agreement as they all gazed perversely at Miss Fortune again. The Joker pulled her closer.

When they got back, the Joker opened the door and slammed it behind him, blocking Miss Fortune from the men in the van.

"I'll miss that limo." Miss Fortune grinned. The Joker laughed.

"Don't worry, we'll get another." He replied, walking towards a room she hadn't been in. Apparently it was the kitchen. "Go and set up the TV so we can watch it, I'll get the champagne."

Miss Fortune went into the living room and lit a fire, using the Joker's method of petrol. She cringed plugged the video camera in and rewound it until she came to the part where she and the Joker entered. If the Joker hadn't noticed her unreasonable anger he no doubt would now. He walked in and handed her a glass of champagne, lying lazily across the other sofa. The men that set up the camera set it at an unluckily perfect angle. The camera was trained on both of hers and the Joker's faces. She was shocked at how furious she had looked, it was blatantly written all over her face. Jealousy. However, after a few gulps of the champagne she felt relaxed. The obviousness of her jealousy didn't bother her too much; the champagne was incredibly strong – she was feeling giggly already.

"Come here." The Joker said. She walked over to lie on the sofa with him, her heart thudding erratically. When they worked together it looked beautiful. An evil work of art. It looked perfect. Playing it back meant she got to see the Joker's reaction to everything. When she kicked Rachel out of the window, he had an eyebrow raised and was smirking to himself. Her heart beat faster and she let out a shaky breath accidently. If the Joker had noticed, he didn't give an indication. It probably looked like she was just impressed with the way she had killed Rachel.

The Joker topped up her glass as he had his third. It came to the scene where the Joker had wrapped his arms around her. She watched every expression on his face intently. She couldn't find a fault. It looked real, but maybe that was just the excitement of the moment. The Joker leant closer to her so that his breath tickled her ear and his lips stroked against her skin. She couldn't hold back her moan and the Joker chuckled, satisfied.

"Let's watch it from the beginning shall we?" He muttered. Allowing it to rewind to the very beginning, when his men had first set the camera up. The room remained empty for a few minutes after they'd left, but then Dent and another man that neither the Joker nor Miss Fortune had seen before walked into the room. The Joker turned the volume up.

"_We need to do something about Miss Fortune." Dent said, pacing his office. He paused to gaze out of the window that Rachel would fall from not long after. "We need to play her at her own game. Prison won't work. The law doesn't work."_

"_What do you propose to do?" The other man asked._

"_She's threatening Rachel. I want her… I want her dead. But she has to suffer."_

"_Like burying her alive?" The man asked. Dent turned to him with a short, dry laugh._

"_I really don't think she'd care."_

"_Harvey, she's a mad woman. She doesn't care about anything. You can't hurt someone if you've got nothing to threaten them with."_

"_No. No, things have changed. If she really only cared about misery, she wouldn't have fled with the Joker instead of ruining Wayne's celebration." Dent said, turning to him with a slightly demented glint in his eye. "She cares about the Joker now."_

Miss Fortune didn't say anything.

"_The Joker? I really don't think she's capable of feeling-"_

"_No. It's more than that. He feels the same. Have you not seen her outfit? I doubt she would have designed that herself."_

The Joker didn't say anything but his stance was more relaxed than hers.

"_Maybe… or maybe it's exactly how it looks and they just decided to team up."_

"_Well, it doesn't matter. I've got a plan. I'm going to-" Both men turned to face the door, they must have heard a noise. "It's Rachel. Meet me tomorrow night at 9 o'clock."_

_The man nodded and left the room._

The Joker pressed pause and Miss Fortune got up, grabbing the champagne bottle off the floor and drinking from it.

"I'm going to go tomorrow and find out what they're planning."

The Joker nodded, finishing his glass of champagne and picking up Miss Fortune's abandoned glass. "I've got to go see a mob dealer tomorrow. Just some old business to finish up."

Miss Fortune felt an odd sensation of disappointment. She tried to hide it in her voice, "I'll take my camera, so if I don't get in touch you'll know what happened."

"I've only got one bed and one duvet so we'll have to share." The Joker said, licking his lips and standing up so he could move closer to her. "Do you want to get changed first or should I?"

"I'll go first." She said, leaving the room quickly and shutting his bedroom door behind her. She needed a few moments without his face so she could gather her thoughts and wonder how she became so insanely lucky recently. She managed to calm down enough to rake through her suitcase in search of her pyjamas. When she didn't find them she panicked, wondering if she had left them behind. She remembered throwing them in… then she spotted a short, purple nightdress on the bed with a tag on it saying "J".

She felt strange again, but this time she realised why. It wasn't because it made her feel like she was his at all. It was because she didn't have a clue what it all meant. It seemed obvious but at the same time, it looked like the opposite of what she wanted. She didn't even know what she did want!

She sighed, frustrated at herself, and went to get changed in the bathroom, tearing the label off the nightdress. When she got it on she had to laugh, it had loose lace at the back that needed to be tied up as a corset. She released her plait and washed off her make up, her bright red hair falling in waves below her shoulders and she waited for the Joker to come and tie her present up for her, seeing as he'd obviously thrown away her old pyjamas.

The Joker was taking his time. He was replaying the part of the night where Miss Fortune's jealousy made her lose control. Her face held a dangerous rage that he found appealing. He hoped he'd get to see it again.

When he walked into the room Miss Fortune was stood leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. He smirked at her as he walked over and turned her around to lace it up. He took his time, making Miss Fortune blush with desire. He didn't even attempt to hold back his laugh as he walked past her into the bathroom to get changed himself.

Miss Fortune was already lying under the covers on what appeared to be her side of the bed. She had to admit she was more impressed than she expected to be when he walked back into the room. All he was wearing was a pair of emerald green silk pyjama trousers. She'd expected him to be rather unimpressive and thin but she'd been wrong. He was fairly toned, with reasonably large muscles and a six pack. Nothing over the top but he was impressive enough to her. She lay back against the pillow as he turned the lights off and climbed into bed next to her. Eventually, she managed to fall into a nervous sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: The Dark Knight is property of himself but Miss Fortune is mine.**

I'm really sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, I couldn't write recently due to a lot of bad stuff going on (I know, no one cares haha) so I just wanted to apologize, especially to gabijaluvs2rite2 who I hope hasn't gone insane yet! Thanks to LuckyGirl17, ShikaKibaShinoGal, red-eyedgal and hatorisgirl15 for adding me!! Anyway, the story you've been waiting for!

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The Joker woke up first, and got up to have a shower and reapply his paint. He dried himself off and put on his suit then stepped out of the bathroom. He leant against the doorframe and looked at Miss Fortune. Her hair was splayed over the pillow and her teardrops had smudged in the night but it somehow suited her. He rubbed his neck as he grabbed his gun, knifes and a selection of bombs that he attached to the inner pockets of his suit. He quickly scrawled a note and then left to see the mob dealer.

When Miss Fortune woke up and opened her eyes she felt a sinking feeling that the Joker wasn't with her. She groaned to herself groggily and left the warm bed to have a shower. When she walked into the bathroom however, a note on the mirror caught her eye. It was a list of instructions on how to enable the security devices on the house when she'd left and then the words 'Have fun with him – J'. She quickly memorised the instructions then destroyed the note. She took much longer in the shower than she usually did. When she had finished washing her hair she sat at the bottom of the shower and let the hot water run over her body, waking her up. She thought about the Joker – he was all she could ever think about nowadays.

She knew letting him into her life was the wrong decision to make. She should never have got a partner, no matter who it was because even if she didn't have the feelings she had now she would have built a friendship and even a friendship or looking out for one another is something she shouldn't have got herself into. The moment she got attached to the Joker was the moment she sold her soul because now there would always be a way that she could get hurt. She knew though that she wasn't able to walk away. She wasn't strong enough. Even now, with the water and steam clearing her thoughts and the Joker nowhere in sight she couldn't do it. When she stepped out of the shower she gave herself an angry glare in the mirror. Then she laughed. The Joker had that effect on her.

She decided that battling what was happening was like trying to catch air. Pointless. Instead she got dressed in the outfit the Joker designed, reapplied her teardrops to her cheeks and went into the living room to replay what Dent and the other guy had said last night. She took this moment to analyse the room. It was at the corner of the building, the window she had kicked Rachel from was at the side but facing the front, behind Dent's desk, was a double glass door with a balcony. Hopefully, if the curtains were drawn, she could hide on the balcony and hear their plans. Time passed quickly as she got lost in her thoughts and replayed the scene over and over again, partly so she could memorize the room and the men and the angle they'd probably be at and partly (which she denied to herself as wanting to see how Dent would react to things) to watch the Joker. She had expected him to be back before she left but she supposed

that he would have come with her if he had have been.

Luckily, she had remembered that she had no car to get there in and called for a taxi, making sure that she told the directions to only him. When he arrived she shot him instantly. She made sure she'd followed the Joker's directions to setting up the security system and climbed into the smoky taxi, setting off for Dent's and leaving the body on the driveway. She sped through the streets nervously. She didn't know why she had a bad feeling about it but she decided it was because she wasn't there to kill anyone this time – only to spy so she'd have to remain hidden. She parked the taxi at the back of the building where she remembered the fire escape was and began to climb it until she'd reached the top of the metal stairway. She glanced down before balancing herself on the rail of the fire escape and silently pouncing onto the roof. To her relief she made it. She crawled across the roof carefully and slowly, so that she wouldn't attract any attention to herself. Silently, she lodged her camera into a space in the boarded up window that Rachel had fallen out of the night before, then crawled back to the top of the roof. For the ten minutes she had before the man would arrive she sat and stared out at Gotham and the stars. It looked much bigger than it felt from this height. When she saw the man's expensive black car come to a halt outside the building she lay low against the roof until he'd entered the building. Then, sitting up, she sat herself exactly where she'd memorized the banister of the balcony to be and, after taking a deep breath, slid down the slanted roof and fell below, her hands outstretched. She aimed it exactly right. Her hands came into contact with the metal railings and she quickly tightened her grip on them, wincing at the force of her sudden stop.

"I heard the news Dent, you look awful." The man said.

"Nothing a few shots of brandy won't sort out," Dent said coldly, "Want some?"

The man must have nodded because the next thing she heard was a chair being pulled out and the clink of glass. Taking another few deep breaths she pulled herself up onto the balcony but kept her body pressed against the thin strip of wall between the banister and the glass doors so that she wouldn't be seen. The man inside yelled in shock at something.

"I caught him." Dent told him and Miss Fortune could hear the smile in his voice. "I caught the Joker."

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Don't worry." Dent continued, "He's unconscious. I hit him with a glass vase."

"Why aren't the police here?" The man asked, sounding slightly frightened.

"I plan on disposing of him myself. The police don't need to know. Maybe throw him out a window. Maybe make it last longer."

Miss Fortune couldn't take it anymore, they were only two pathetic men, she could kill them both. With this thought in mind she kicked the glass doors open. It happened in slow motion. The police ran towards her as she scanned the room for the Joker, before realising she'd been tricked. Luckily, she was agile and quickly turned from the room and used the railings to swing herself onto the balcony below. However, she hit something softer than concrete.

She hit Batman.

His arms to be precise, he caught her mid jump and clung onto her, holding her arms securely behind her back. Miss Fortune screamed at him and tried kicking out behind her but she knew it was no use. She tried wrenching herself away from him but it had no effect, she relied on her speed and agility but not her strength.

"You took it one step to far this time." Batman told her in his gruff voice, making her skin crawl. He pushed her through the open doors and into the arms of the police, in which she was immediately handcuffed. Her eyes spun quickly around the room, looking for anyway she could get out of this situation, any gap in the police's stance. But they weren't letting her escape this time. Batman paraded her down the stairs and towards the police van, where a news reporter with a camera begun firing questions at her. Furious, she raised her leg and kicked the camera out of the man's hands, sending it clattering to the floor and smashing the lens. He swore at her before the police ushered him away and she was thrown into the van.

Batman got in after her and closed the door behind them. For a moment no one spoke until Miss Fortune realised they weren't going towards the police station. She sat up, alert.

"Where are you taking me?" She demanded.

"Arkham Asylum. Where you belong." Batman replied roughly.

"I'm not crazy!" She retorted, enraged.

"What made you think you could kill Dent's girlfriend and get away with it?"

"What made you think I couldn't?" She replied, bitterly. He leaned in closer.

"It should be you that's dead, not all the innocent people you killed. Be thankful you're going to Arkham."

The van came to a halt much too soon. Batman shoved her out of the van and handed her to the people inside.

"You might need to subdue her Dr. Crane. She won't go down without a fight."

"Indeed." He answered, taking the gun from her holster and admiring it before handing it to one of the nurses. A blonde nurse came over to her holding a pair of pale blue trousers and a matching T-Shirt.

"What can I call you?" The nurse asked softly. Miss Fortune made to kick her in the face but Batman held her back. The nurse smiled pityingly. "I'll call you Fortune. Now Fortune I'll need you to change into these clothes, your old belongings will stay in my office until you're well enough to leave."

"I'm not getting changed." Miss Fortune told her with a deadly edge to her voice.

"You will get your possessions back Fortune, just as soon as you get better. Everyone has to wear these clothes, they aren't so bad when you get used to them."

"I am MISS Fortune." She told the nurse, trying again to lash out at her. The nurse continued to smile cheerily.

"That was your old name, sweetie. You're going to be a different person! You need to get changed into these and we can wash that make-up off your face."

Miss Fortune strained to look at Batman. "I don't belong here. You take me to the police station now. I am NOT staying here."

Batman gave a dark laugh as a nurse came with a syringe. "You deserve to rot."

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!" She shrieked to the nurse approaching her. She kicked her legs out wildly, hoping to kick the syringe out of her hands. Batman managed to restrain her completely as the nurse came and injected the liquid into her arm.

Miss Fortune screamed and thrashed until the drugs overcame her and she slumped, exhausted. Batman unlocked her handcuffs and gave her to Dr. Crane who steered her into a room with the nurse to get changed.

"Now, you change into these clothes and I won't look." The nurse smiled as the doctor left the room.

Miss Fortune shook her head groggily. "Oh come on now, Fortune! The sooner you get changed, the sooner you can see your room and get to know the other people here."

Miss Fortune looked down at the clothes in her hands, confused. "Do you need help?"

Miss Fortune slurred something that sounded like "Wazgoinon?"

"My name is Polly." She told her in a sickly sweet voice. "Would you like me to help you into your uniform?"

"Ufom?" Miss Fortune asked, beginning to hyperventilate.

"Calm down now, dear, the first week is always the hardest. Don't you want to be happy?"

"Wah? Wahyoutawkbow?"

The nurse sighed pityingly and knelt down beside Miss Fortune. "Happy. It's a good feeling. When you get better, you'll be happy."

Miss Fortune looked down again to the clothes, more confused than ever. She tried handing them to the nurse who just laughed. "No, no dear. They're yours!"

Miss Fortune sighed irritably and dropped them on the floor, shaking her head. The nurse seemed to be finding it very comical. "We need you dressed quickly so that Doctor Crane can interview you. Don't worry it's very procedural. He'll be doing it in your room so that… well… if things get out of hand he likes to use a gas to… calm the situation down. He makes it himself, he says."

Silence.

"He's a very nice man. I'm sure you'll like him. We have a new placement too, a young man… oh I can't think of his name! He seemed interested to know that you are here though, he volunteered for night duty of your ward! He starts tomorrow, I'm sure you'll get along well."

Miss Fortune had fallen asleep.

*

She woke up with a bolt of fear as she came to her sense. She was lying in a bed that attached to the wall, wearing the blue Arkham uniform. Three of the walls were made of huge stones cemented together except one which was made of glass and was facing another empty room. As she sat up out of her bed she jumped, Dr. Crane was in the room with her as well.

"_Miss_ Fortune. You're in the right place." He grinned. "I wonder if you can tell me why you like to cause people misery… Cause people _fear_."

Miss Fortune didn't reply.

"Do their faces fascinate you? You know, people have many stages of fears and you manage to create people's worst nightmares."

"You're talking about it as though it's a gift." She noted. He sat up and straightened his tie. There was a very long pause.

"How does it make you feel, knowing the Joker doesn't return your love?"

"I don't feel love." She replied coldly.

"Well, simply from the way you said that I can tell your lying. I'm a psychiatrist, remember." Another pause. "Were you hoping maybe, after watching so many victims cry over their loved ones, that you might love someone too? …Maybe you wanted someone to look after you?"

She refused to answer. "You know, I've seen video footage of you and the Joker. That is how I can tell that you love him and he doesn't love you. He probably knew you were walking into a trap which is why he didn't go with you this time."

Miss Fortune closed her eyes, trying to block out everything he was saying. Trying to pretend that it didn't make sense. "The police finally caught you. It was all over the news immediately. Everyone in Gotham has heard that you're in Arkham. That will include the Joker. Yet, he isn't here is he? It is now… 5 a.m. and he had all night to notice your absence but he didn't come to get you."

She opened her eyes and turned her head towards him. "I do not love the Joker and he does not love me. We wanted to work together purely because it would allow us both to work on a larger scale. We are emotionless."

She quickly closed her eyes again and turned her head away. She shouldn't have said that last sentence. It reminded her of how they laughed; how he held his arm around her sometimes without even realising; how they drunk champagne and got thrills out of hurting people and enjoyed it together. It was almost enough to make her cry. Almost.

"You fascinate me. Truly. You look so fierce and… fiery. I bet that face has never worn a look of fear."

Miss Fortune scowled and turned away from him. He didn't get the hint.

"I wonder what you are afraid of… a pretty girl like yourself _should_ be vulnerable. You should be afraid."

She snapped. "Afraid of what? YOU?! You slimy, arrogant, perverse little man! You think that being in here makes me a trembling wreck?! When I get out – oh, and I will get out – I will take your family and I'll make them squirm, I'll make it slow and painful and then when you go to sleep in your stuffy little boring office you'll pull back the covers and see all their eyes staring up at you. Now get OUT of my room and go use your psycho-techniques on someone else!" She yelled, fuming.

The doctor chortled to himself. "I really hoped it would come to this. It seems you need… _calming down_."

He took a canister from the briefcase he was holding and sprayed it in the room before quickly exiting and closing the panel behind him. Miss Fortune coughed and spluttered, before enduring her own personal hell.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Dark Knight or any of it's characters, just Miss Fortune.**

I hope this chapter clears up the confusion over the Tanya thing at the starts, he trusted Miss Fortune because he had no reason to think otherwise.

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The Joker stood in front of her, smiling. She rushed up to go and hug him but before she could he fell to the ground, bleeding. She crouched beside him, asking what had happened and he uttered the word "Batman", before his eyes lost their brightness and he stopped smiling. The blood inched towards her, pooling around her legs. She stroked the Joker's face and noticed something. His corpse was rotting. She backed away from the corpse as her hands splattered in the blood that was now covering a large part of the floor.

Instead of screaming, instead of crying, she smeared the blood over her lips and cheeks, making a copy of the Joker's smile. She'd force herself to smile and make sure she never stopped. It's what he'd want. Not only that, but Batman killed him. He'd corrupted him and that meant the Joker had won! If he could have died in any way, there was no way more perfect than that. Miss Fortune did more than smile, she laughed.

As soon as she'd laughed the scene broke. The Joker was no longer there, his blood no longer seeping across the floor and staining her face with a smile. She stood up shakily to see Dr. Crane staring at her from the other side of the glass. She walked over to him and breathed on the glass, then wrote the words "Try Harder" with her finger. He turned angrily and stormed away down the corridor into his office as several nurses looked after him, confused.

Miss Fortune turned away to lie on her bed and took this time to plot a way to get back at Batman and at Dent. She had visions of kidnapping Dent, and ridiculing him. She could record the footage and send it into the news. It would destroy Dent's reputation and attract Batman's attention.

The trouble was to find Batman's limit. Something he would refuse to do and allow Dent to die for. She supposed if it was a choice between killing a child he'd let Dent die. She wanted to choose a child that mattered. She decided to go down the list, Dent had no children. She had no idea who Batman was… Who else was important? Then she remembered Jim Gordon. She was sure he was married with two children… Miss Fortune didn't know if they'd be important enough or if it would just involve the police… they'd have to tell the public that if any police are involved both Dent and the child would die.

A nurse interrupted her thoughts. "Hi Fortune, I'm Polly, remember? We're going to let you out for recreation time and then supper. You will be escorted by Dr. Crane in case you are hostile. We have a television you can watch and a lot of different reading material. If you're on good behaviour you can use the telephone! Are you ready to come out?"

"Yes, Polly. I will so enjoy the recreation time, television – what a treat!" Miss Fortune replied, mimicking the nurse's sickly sweet voice. Polly's smile faltered as she glared at Miss Fortune, before turning away and trotting off. Dr. Crane entered his security card into the slot and the glass pane lifted to let her out. Dr. Crane roughly grabbed Miss Fortune and set her down on the sofa, so that she could watch the television. He changed it onto GCN and the reporter read out:

_Miss Fortune was seized by Batman last night at Dent's office and taken to Arkham Asylum._

Dr. Crane laughed.

_Shortly after, video footage was received by the police from the Joker. Here is the footage…_

A video played of the Joker. He put the camera onto a desk so he could record himself and began to clap.

"Well done to Dent and Batman! You must be so thrilled you finally managed to catch her, after all this time! I thought you'd want to celebrate so tonight at midnight we're going to have some fireworks! You won't want to miss them. I've noticed a lot of people are taking a ferry out of Gotham tonight and I thought they wouldn't want to miss them either. Don't worry though, they've got enough dynamite to go out with a bang! Not that they'll get to enjoy them for long. I know it's not much of a celebration so I also thought we could have a treasure hunt! In five random houses around Gotham the families inside have been tied up to some oil barrels and they'll also have their own fireworks at midnight. So, congratulations! Have fun." He said, then laughed manically and the camera turned off.

_The police assure us they are doing everything they can to save the people in question. If you have any information or notice anything suspicious, please don't hesitate to call the hotline on the screen, _please_, everyone getting a ferry out of Gotham tonight, cancel your tickets!_

The screen went blank as a nurse looked at Dr. Crane horrified. "Doctor, do you really think this is the sort of program she should be watching?! We don't want to… overexcite her."

"Don't worry nurse, the Joker will be caught." He told her, a sneer on his face. "He'll be taken to county or perhaps somewhere far away from Gotham. Surely, you wouldn't deny her one last chance to see her friend again."

"Do you really think so Doctor?" Miss Fortune replied, grinning. "From my experience I'd say at least three of those families will die and it won't stop there. I'm sure he'll feel the need to celebrate all week. Maybe longer. No need to worry though, I won't get _overexcited_."

"Supper now." The nurse said, hesitantly. "Everyone must come to supper now!"

The nurses led the way to the dining hall but suddenly, Miss Fortune wasn't hungry. Supper was a bowl of suspiciously grey porridge that seemed to never have been warmed up, was filled with greasy lumps and had a blonde hair sticking out of it. She sat there staring at it until some nurses ushered everyone back to their rooms. Just before the nurse closed the glass panel of her cell she said excitedly, "The new man that offered to take the night shift is really handsome and interested in your case! Maybe it won't be as bad here as you think. Who knows, if you behave well and get better, maybe you'll meet a man like that one day and settle down."

She noticed that this particular nurse was wearing bright red lipstick and walked away, smiling to herself and smoothing her hair. She found it quite pathetic that some people got so worked up about something as trivial as a new employee in an insane asylum. She didn't care. She sat back and allowed herself to imagine how much fun the Joker would be having right now and all the chaos he'd create. She imagined him wiring up the families to the oil barrels and the terrified looks on their faces. She smiled to herself and sighed; she wished she could be with him. The clock read ten o'clock when they announced "lights out" and the place went dark besides a few dim lights that the security guards stood by. You could hear some of the other patients weeping because they were afraid of the dark. After half an hour all weeping had stopped and the only sound that could be heard was a single guard pacing each corridor. The guard on her corridor paced back and forth, looking in each cell before stopping in front of hers.

All she could make out was a dark figure as he slipped his security card into her slot and the glass pane opened. For a moment she thought it was one of the Joker's men helping her escape. Then the glass closed behind him and she was locked in with him. She immediately jumped off the bed and stood in the centre of the room.

"Who are you?" Miss Fortune whispered.

"You don't remember me?" The man laughed bitterly. "And we had such history."

Miss Fortune raised her fists defensively. "Just tell me who you are."

"I'm the person you said you were in love with." He replied. There was a pause as Miss Fortune tried to remember all the people she'd used that trick on. Truthfully, she'd lost count. "Do you know what happened to me?"

"Er… no." Miss Fortune replied, wondering if it was wise to try and fight a security guard that had a gun and was also stronger than her with her bare fists. There was no way she was lowering herself to call for the nurse's help.

"Well, the woman that I kept meeting in secret… that told me she loved me… She told me to meet her in the women's toilets so that we could hide in a cubicle and I could meet my wife after work so that she wouldn't suspect anything. Then guess what she did? She claimed she was being raped. Do you remember? After all the weeks of meeting in secret; all the dates and all the strange places you took me… the women's bathroom seemed almost boring. Less of the challenge that we loved, can you remember? We could hide in a cubicle, you said. You said I could meet Tanya from work and she wouldn't suspect a thing. You laughed."

"Well, it wasn't long before you were released was it?" Miss Fortune replied, bored of the conversation.

"No. No, it wasn't. Tanya knew it was you from the beginning, you know. So I begged to have her back. She came to the court room and was going to testify against the charges; until the evidence came up that I'd been having an affair… when I was released she divorced me. She still let you win."

"Well, it's not really my fault you cheated on your wife is it? Now can you go? I'm tired."

"No. I can't. You need to be taught a lesson. I want to give you a taste of your own medicine." He replied, smiling sadistically and moving towards her.

Miss Fortune gathered all her strength and slapped him hard in the face. His eyes watered and he looked dazed so she took that moment to kick him in the crotch. He fell to the floor and his security card fell too. Miss Fortune seized her chance and grabbed the card but before she could fit it in the slot she heard the familiar noise of the safety being taken off a gun. She froze, doubting there was much chance she could dodge a bullet.

The man panted on the floor and eventually stood up, catching his breath. He grabbed the card off Miss Fortune and shoved her against a wall.

"Don't think I won't do it. Some one like you deserves to be killed. You're just lucky I'm giving you the chance to be more useful."

He grabbed her face and crushed his lips against hers, she tried to push him away put he was holding her firmly in place so instead she got his bottom lip between her teeth and bit into it, bursting it and sending a flow of blood into his mouth.

He moved away and she spat out the blood. "Oh, you bitch." He laughed, "Want it violent do you? You only had to ask."

He used the gun in his hands to hit her face. She winced but refused to make any noise. She wiped his blood off her face and knew that she needed to get that gun off him somehow. As she was wondering how best to do it however, he got a knife from his pocket and held it to her.

"Want a smile like the Joker's?" He laughed. "No, I don't want to make you ugly. What use would you have then?"

"You think those scars make him ugly?" She asked in a deadly voice, ignoring the knife pressing against her neck.

"They make him a freak. Enough talk. As much as I'd love to make this last all night, I'm getting bored."

He held the gun against her head and the knife against her throat and pressed his body against hers. "Come on, I don't know why your so unresponsive, we used to do this all the time."

She kicked him in the stomach but it was one step too far. He growled and sliced the knife through the top of her arm. She gasped from the sudden pain as his hand moved under her top. He grunted as he forced his body against hers and laughed nastily as he tore at her. In the distance she heard the guards fighting and the sound of a gunshot.

He groaned as he moved away from Miss Fortune but wrapped a forceful arm around her waist. "They'll have attracted the nurses. We'll have to be-"

He was cut off as someone fired a shotgun at the glass window and it shattered. She felt the man get pulled away from her.

"Surprise!" The Joker yelled, throwing the man against the wall and pulling the gun from his hands. He tossed the gun behind him to Miss Fortune who caught it, her heart beating madly. "I hope I wasn't interrupting something."

The man seemed terrified but he tried not to show it. "Y-yeah you were actually. I knew her before you were even around and she loves me. She told me. We were just having fun, like we always used to, if you know what I mean. She's not into freaks."

Miss Fortune shot him high up in the leg and the man screamed in pain, causing the Joker to laugh and kick the guy to the floor, hitting and kicking him over and over again until he was an unconscious wreck on the floor with blood dribbling from his mouth.

Miss Fortune couldn't control herself. She threw her arms around the Joker and pressed her lips against his. He stumbled a step backwards, shocked, then laughed and kissed her back. She entwined her fingers in his hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist and body. She brushed her tongue against his lips and he opened them. They kissed heatedly, ignoring everything around them until they heard Dr. Crane's voice behind them.

The Joker groaned as he pulled away and turned to face the Doctor. "Could you just give us a minute?"

Dr. Crane laughed darkly. He was quite young for a doctor, with short brown hair and stunning liquid blue eyes. It caused all the nurses to flit around him, trying to impress him and gain his attention. It was easy to see he was beautiful, if you liked that sort of guy. To Miss Fortune he was repulsive, he made her squirm and she found all the nurses pathetic, if they'd open their eyes they'd notice that he wasn't quite right…

The Joker could tell instantly. "Dr. Crane, isn't it?"

The Doctor nodded, completely unafraid. "If you like. The nurses have been barricaded in the staff room and it looks like you've already dealt with the security guards, so it looks like it's just us three… or should I say us two?"

In one swift movement Dr. Crane raised his wrist and a powdery gas immerged from a small canister, hitting Miss Fortune in the face. Last time she'd been alone and known the Joker wasn't really there. Last time hadn't been so bad. This time was completely different. The unconscious form of the security guard glared up at her with fierce red eyes and blood seeping from his mouth and nose and ears. The Joker's eyes had become huge black circles that were twice the size or normal eyes and he smiled so wide it looked like his jaw had broken. His mouth kept on growing until she could see all of his jagged teeth and a long tongue hanging from it. He looked as though he was capable of biting her face completely off and the aggressiveness of his huge black eyes and his manic expression made him seem as though he desperately wanted to. He approached her staring down and a high-pitched abnormal screeching noise came from his throat.

Dr. Crane's face was quite different. Things were missing. Where his eyes should have been were black holes, sunken into his head although she had the feeling he could still see her. His hair had disappeared in clumps, leaving large bald patches all over his head and half of his jaw had disappeared and it was surrounded in black just like his eyes. The other half of his jaw had been sewn on lopsidedly and his face was greyer than the porridge had been. Miss Fortune realised that the black covering his jaw and eyes and blotches of his face and head was not paint or holes it was rot. One of his ears was completely black and on the other side of his head was a stump where his ear had rotted away.

There wasn't any ray of hope in this scene. Last time, the Joker had at least achieved something. This time she was in danger. These horrific creatures were going to tortured and kill her, probably slowly. She couldn't bear to see their faces anymore. They were advancing on her, what used to be the Joker screeching manically and Dr. Crane's rotting body looking as though it were going to suck the life out of her. She refused to scream because a vague part of her sane mind remembered her countless victims screaming and crying when what they should really have been doing was either running or fighting.

She ran past them, ignoring the Joker's screeches coming from his gaping hole of a mouth and fled but as she looked back she saw the Joker's clawed hand stretching out an abnormally long way and grabbing her, pulling her back. He pushed her into the corner of the room although he now resembled nothing of the Joker. His huge mouth came dangerously close to her face, his long, jagged teeth looking as though they were about to tear the skin from her body, but they didn't. Everything was moving at a disturbingly unnatural speed and a horrible stench of rotting flesh filled the room, making her wretch as she tried not to be sick.

The Joker aimed his gun at Dr. Crane, who didn't even flinch – he just laughed. "You know, I've heard of you. I know what you do."

"You might want to take that gun off her, she might use it on you… or herself."

The Joker looked down at Miss Fortune. She had a look of pure terror on her face but still, it was clear she wouldn't give in. "The thing about Miss Fortune is she's feisty. She's a fighter. She won't give in to you or whatever drugs you give her. So I'm going to let her keep the gun. Unless you're afraid she'll shoot you?"

"Not at all. She's not going to shoot me. We had a little chat earlier… about you actually. I think she found me rather charming, after all, when she compared me to you she found I had the same dangerous, freakish streak you have but with charm. Maybe, she'll be drawn to me next. When you get caught."

As if on cue, police sirens echoed in the background. Dr. Crane laughed. "Will you be rescuing her in that state, then? I'm sure she'd be happy to stay with me while longer."

The Joker grabbed Dr. Crane's wrist and bent it backwards so that it released the gas into Crane's face and the Joker laughed hysterically. A pale sweat grew over Crane's face as he stared up at the Joker who was rapidly changing into a horrifying form. "Why don't you take a breather and I'll see you some other time." The Joker told him, before pulling Miss Fortune up off the floor and steering her in the direction of the nurse's squeals.

The Joker kicked the door open and the nurses all screamed at the same time, looking at the Joker with horror. Miss Fortune tried to back away, out of the Joker's arms and away from the nurses who, to her, were all staring at her with gigantic smiles and blood-stained teeth, their eyes wide and excited and their faces twitching unstably.

"W-where is the doctor?" The nurse with bright red lipstick asked.

"He's taking a nap. Now, I need to know where her stuff is and then we can go. Otherwise, the blonde one over there won't be able to see her family again. Or, who knows, maybe that nurse will be cut up into little pieces and put into the next meal you make. What's it going to be?"

The blonde nurse scurried over to a filing cabinet and pulled out Miss Fortune's outfit and gun. She walked over to the Joker and quickly pushed it into his hands but not quickly enough. He grabbed her by her collar and pulled her back, holding his knife against her throat.

"Now, which one of you ladies is going to tell me the back way to get out? Hmm?"

A nurse with dark brown hair and a thick Russian accent stepped forward. "It is round the corner and at the end of the corridor. But, she is bleeding. You need this."

The nurse threw a first aid kit toward Miss Fortune who tried to bat it away, thinking it was a severed head. Luckily for her, the images were becoming less horrifying and monstrous.

"What is wrong with her?" The Russian nurse asked. The Joker didn't respond as he threw the blonde nurse back towards them, picked up the first aid kit and pulled Miss Fortune in the direction of the back entrance. As they slipped outside he saw a small number of cops running through the front entrance. The Joker lifted Miss Fortune off the ground and ran with her towards one of the parked police cars. He shoved her in the front seat and strapped her in, laughing as she tried to slap him. He jumped in the diver's seat and they sped off, away from Arkham and on a small winding road heading in the opposite direction of Gotham. The drive was over in minutes as the Joker parked up on the side of a grassy hill and let Miss Fortune out.

The fresh air cleared her head and the nightmare was finally over. The Joker looked like his usual self and she could clearly see he was holding a first aid kit in his hands – not a head. The Joker led her up the steep hill and she stumbled often, weak from the amount of blood she'd lost after the security guard cut her arm. When they finally got to the top of the hill the view was amazing, you could see the whole of Gotham.

"Come here." The Joker breathed and Miss Fortune moved closer to him but collapsed on the grass. He knelt down beside her and tore the sleeve off her wounded arm before opening the first aid kit. He found a needle and surgical thread and began to sew the wound closed. He was concentrating intently on her arm, threading the needle through carefully. He seemed as though he'd done it before. When he'd finished he turned her around to face Gotham and took off his jacket to wrap around her.

"I thought you'd want to celebrate getting out of there." He grinned and pulled the key out of a detonator in his hands. Five different houses exploded one after the over and if you listened hard you could hear the screams. A minute later an oil tanker exploded too. Huge sparks of fire shot into the air and the water was glowing orange from the oil on the surface that was alight with flames. It looked beautiful.

"I thought you said it was going to be a ferry." Miss Fortune noted.

The Joker laughed, "The ferries were easy for them to search, they would have taken the charges off and the oil tanker had a better effect."

They sat on the hill for hours, watching the havoc below them. People were running and screaming to try and get away from the flames. Almost a hundred fire engines had been sent out and you could just make out the SWAT teams. Miss Fortune was so exhausted she fell asleep and the Joker watched her, his face illuminated from the mass of fire consuming Gotham.

For a few hours he continued to watch Gotham burn until the mayhem died down and the fire stopped burning in the water and eventually, he fell asleep beside her.

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	8. Brush With Danger

WARNING!! This is not the next chapter. This is a character development piece I did on Miss Fortune. If you prefer her past to be a mystery or something you can make up for yourself then don't read this. The next chapter will be out soon but this is for people like gabijaluvs2rite that don't want to wait. If knowing a bit of her past would ruin it for you then PLEASE DON'T READ!!

For the people that do read, give me feedback on whether something from her POV was a good idea or not, I know some people might not like it but after writing it I was too excited not to publish it - don't worry it's incredibly short. Thanks to everyone who has added me to their alert of favourite's list lately, I appreciate it!

**Disclaimer: Gotham and the Wayne family aren't mine.**

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I remember my first brush with danger. I was six years old. Gotham was a crumbling city, perhaps more so than it is now. Mr Wayne was doing everything he could, spending millions of dollars to help out the needy and to try and reunite Gotham. If you could have seen a day in my house though, you wouldn't have suspected the outside world was so terrible.

My father would ruffle my hair and call me his sweet little girl and my mom would kiss his cheek before he left for work. My mom stayed at home with me, my father worked in a hospital – in Gotham Central. We were incredibly wealthy so there was no need for my mom to go to work and besides, she preferred staying with me. The first present I got for my birthday was a face-painting set. My mum used to paint my face every day. One day I'd be a kitty-cat, the next day a spider-girl, then a clown, a tiger, a butterfly.

One night my father took us out to the opera house and there was a beautiful woman singing a sad song with teardrops on her cheeks. She had captivated everyone in the room and that night, when we got home I begged my mom to paint my face like hers. No matter how hard I pleaded – she wouldn't.

"I can't" She said, "In a city like Gotham you _have_ to be superstitious. You don't want to bring misfortune on us do you?"

I didn't care. I wanted to look as beautiful as the singer. I wanted everyone to look at me with awe. My mom put me to bed early that night and when she turned the light off, I snuck out of bed and crept across the hall to get my face-painting set. I dampened the paintbrush like mommy always did and painted two big, blue teardrops on my face, then dabbed glitter on before they dried.

As I was sneaking to the nearest downstairs bathroom, I heard my mom's and father's voices. At first I thought they were having an argument, but they couldn't have been because my parent's never argued. So, I tiptoed over to the door. I was light on my feet because mom took me to gymnastics twice a week. She said I was born to be a performer and to amaze people. I opened the door slightly and peaked through the gap.

There was a stranger in our house with ripped clothes and a long, messy beard. The type of person mommy always told me to stay away from. I was about to go inside and tell him off because he wasn't meant to be in our house but then I saw a pistol in his hands.

I screamed, "Mommy! Run away!"

That's when it happened. I frightened the man and made him jump. He shot my daddy and mom started screaming so he shot her too before grabbing the ornaments nearest to him and running away. I ran over to them and lay beside them, hugging them and crying. Their blood stained my platinum blonde hair and made it bright red in patches.

My mom took one look at me and told me, "It's not your fault, baby. Don't let anything hold you back. I want to look down from heaven to see that everyone in

Gotham knows your name."

Then she closed her eyes and didn't open them again. She didn't understand. It was my fault. I didn't just bring bad luck to our house. I _was_ the misfortune. Their blood, by that time, had almost stained the whole of my hair before I stopped crying. The reason I had stopped crying was because the foolish man had left his pistol in my house. I kissed both of my parent's on the cheek before grabbing the gun and bursting the door open. It was a freezing night and Gotham was pouring heavily with rain. It didn't stop me though. I ran outside, in only my pyjamas and dressing gown.

He didn't hear me coming. The only sound I was making was the pattering of my tiny feet on the rain-covered pavement. It took hours to find him. But I did. I squeezed my eyes shut tight and pulled the trigger, until he looked like my mommy and daddy. I didn't hug him though; I left him there on his own. The blood in my hair was dripping down my shoulders and I was shivering madly, the teardrops had run down my cheeks from both the rain and my tears. No one came to find me. There was no one left to worry. That was my first brush with danger. It wasn't enough.


	9. Chapter 9

Eek, sorry. I just came back from visiting my boyfriend's parents in Kent so I couldn't write and Christmas was really hectic. I know it's been practically three weeks... sorry!! The good news is my University coursework has just come through in the post, so I'll be writing as much as possible to get out of doing it. Also, I really really can't wait to write the next bit so you should see it soon :D

A huge thanks to everyone that reviews, adds me to their favourites and adds me to their alert lists. It really means a lot and I smile and start writing whenever someone new does (or when people PM me - thanks Selene). Thanks for being so ace!!

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Miss Fortune opened her eyes to see a cloudy grey sky above her. It took her a while to remember that she'd fallen asleep on the hill last night, after watching the chaos taking place in Gotham. She shut her eyes tight again upon remembering the creep: Dr. Crane and his drugs. She let her fingers trace the scar on her arm that the Joker had sewn shut and winced when it stung. She was covered in mud and still wearing the Arkham uniform.

She sat up, shivering and pulled the Joker's jacket around her more tightly. She guessed it was quite early in the morning because Gotham was quiet with hardly any traffic on the roads. Last night's fire had left a mark; some of the buildings that had set on fire were now a charcoal black.

The Joker opened his eyes, squinting against the brightness of the sky. He sat up and stretched slowly and some of his bones cracked. He was covered in mud too.

"Thanks for stitching me up last night." Miss Fortune said, yawning. The Joker rubbed his eyes groggily. She continued, "I want to kill Dent."

"I've been thinking about him." The Joker replied. "Let's go back first though. We can talk about it there."

Miss Fortune nodded and stood up, shakily. "I'm going to get changed in the car so give me a few minutes head start."

"I'll count to a hundred." The Joker smirked. She opened her mouth to argue but he'd already started counting so after a moment's hesitation she flitted down the hill and back to the car. The Joker stopped counting and looked over Gotham with a secretive smile and expression that was hard to read. He scanned all the back alleys and winding roads that he could see away from the main road and committed them to memory. He also scanned it for derelict places, abandoned warehouses and places that strayed away from the city. After he was satisfied he could remember all the likely places a madman would take a victim he wandered down the hill. He reached the car just as Miss Fortune was pulling on her boots.

When they got back Miss Fortune jumped into the shower first. She washed her sewn-up wound carefully before cleaning away all traces of Arkham. She could still smell the revolting smell from the canteen in her hair. When she finally got out, got dressed and dried her hair she painted the teardrops on her cheeks with a relief. She felt naked without them. The Joker got in after her so she went into the living room to light a fire and warm herself up. As she looked at the flames she thought viciously about Dent and how he'd set her up.

She had to admit it was quite clever. What she loved about it was how he'd planned it before Rachel had died. She wondered if the plan would have gone differently if he'd known about Rachel. She doubted he would have been so legit about getting rid of her. Either way, he deserved to be punished. She wanted to see him suffer. To be thankful that Rachel's death was quick. She wanted to see him beg.

The Joker walked into the room and tossed something small towards her. "Welcome home, here's a present."

Miss Fortune admired it. It was a silver signet ring with a large "J" in the circle. She tried to admire it subtly, without spending to long looking at it but she felt drawn to it.

Besides the fact no one had ever given her jewellery before, she knew what it meant. If she put it on and wore it as part of her costume it would mean officially that she belonged to him. The costume he had designed for her made that pretty clear anyway but some people like Tanya's ex-husband obviously hadn't got the message so the ring was a reminder. Then she realised that wasn't all it was.

The background of the circle that surrounded the "J" was made of a different material. It was a microphone. "Keeping tabs on me?" Miss Fortune asked, grinning.

"You'll need it." He replied, grinning larger than Miss Fortune.

"Hey, last time was a set up. Even you didn't realise it. I don't need constant monitoring just because of one mistake!" Miss Fortune said furiously as the Joker screeched with laughter.

"It's not for that. It's for Dent."

Miss Fortune concealed her confusion by slipping the ring on her middle finger. "So, are you going to tell me your idea?"

"Killing Dent… is not the answer. All those years ago when that rich boy's parents died everyone wanted to follow in their footsteps. Things for got worse for the mob. If we killed Dent, there would be uproar and people would feel hopeful. We need to break their spirits. We need to show them the real Harvey Dent… We need bait." He smirked, staring at Miss Fortune.

There was a long silence.

"Me?" She asked, not knowing how to feel.

"Correct! I think he'd take you somewhere deserted. You get him to tell you where he's going and then try to stall him so I can set up the video camera. I'll hear everything you're saying. Then send the footage to GCN and all the criminals are back on the streets; followed by Harvey." When Miss Fortune scowled he continued, "Imagine the horror of everyone watching at home. Imagine what the press would say. If we do it in daylight, Batman can't stop it."

She had to admit, it sounded almost perfect. Almost. "You're going to let someone tie me to a chair and torture me in front of everyone in Gotham?"

"Yeah."

"Then the police will come! I'll get caught!"

"We'll improvise. It'll be fine."

Miss Fortune stared into the fire, making up her mind. She knew it was worth it but still, she wasn't happy about it. Finally she grinned up at the Joker. "So how do we get him to kidnap me?"

"Well you could call him and tell him to meet you… or you could just burst into his office."

"So when do I go?"

"What's the time?"

Miss Fortune checked the time on a digital clock in the far corner of the room. "10.38 a.m."

"Let's make the lunchtime news shall we?"

"If you let me die or if… I'll kill you."

The Joker laughed and moved closer to her, leaving her pressed against the wall. "Don't tell me Arkham made you lose your nerve."

Her heart thudded and her head went fuzzy. He was less than inches away. "I've never attempted anything that leaves me tied to a chair with no way of defending myself. It's too… serious." She breathed lightly, her eyes darting over the Joker's face, into his eyes and then rapidly back to his lips.

"Oh." He replied in his captivating voice, "Then lets turn it into a game shall we? If you escape then we'll celebrate… we'll go to somewhere abandoned and play fight and the person that loses has to get the champagne for the night."

"That sounds like fun." Miss Fortune smirked, adamant that she'd win. It took her mind slightly off the fact that there was a fiery burning deep inside her chest that was urging her to grab him and pull him closer. Well, at least it was helpful at first. Once she began to think of her and the Joker fighting the realised how amazing it would be and when she looked away from his lips to see the strong competitive glint in his eyes mingled with the fact he was clearly enjoying making her suffer she had to dig her nails into the palm of her hand to try and balance out the desire that was now raging against her free will. "And if I'm caught?"

"You have to find your own way to escape. Then, when you get back, you have to do whatever I tell you to for a week." He replied, licking his lips.

"And if you're caught, the same rules apply to you." Miss Fortune added. "Let's make it more interesting though. If I'm not caught then the person that loses the fight between us has to follow orders for the rest of the night."

The Joker moved even closer so that she could feel his breath on her lips and their noses were touching. "Deal."

Then he moved away from her and laughed, leaving her dazed for a few moments and trying to get a grip on herself. She let out a shaky breath that she hadn't realised she was holding in and the adrenaline stopped flowing so strongly through her veins.

"So… is this ring working then?"

"Of course. Just keep Dent alive and make everything you say and do realistic. Oh, and take this." He replied, tossing a video camera into her hands.

"I thought you needed this." She said, but he held up an identical one in his hands.

"This is yours. That is so Dent thinks he's got yours."

"See you in a bit then. You'll have to call a taxi or hijack someone's car because I'm going to take the police car."

"It'd be better if I had it, so that I can get there faster than you."

"Oh yeah… fine I'll call the taxi."

She sat by the fire until there was a ring on the doorbell. After that she waited until she heard the sound of a gunshot. The Joker had set it up so that anyone that rung the bell got shot in the head… or neck depending on how tall they were but either way it was a fatal blow."

She got up and crossed the living room without saying goodbye, thankful when she clambered into the taxi and was away from his dark eyes. She could finally think about him without feeling as though he knew exactly what she was thinking. She bit her lip as she drove away and smiled to herself. Her life had never been better. She kept replaying the expression of his face when he was so close to her. She thought about it for a while whilst driving around Gotham in a circle until her giddiness had vaporised. She had to admit that there was a dark sexiness in him enjoying how he could control her and make her squirm. Her heart thudded and she moaned before remembering that she was wearing a ring that allowed him to hear everything.

God knows what that sounded like.

She kept her lips firmly sealed after that until she arrived at Dent's. She took her familiar route up the fire escape and onto the roof. Wasting no time, she slipped down onto the balcony and opened the unlocked doors that led into his office. It was empty but she could hear Dent's voice coming up the stairs.

Silently she flitted to the desk and crouched down beside it. She had come unarmed because she didn't want her gun confiscated again. She heard Dent's voice clearly through the wooden door.

"I don't care how you find her just bring her to me first, do you understand?" He said angrily. Miss Fortune heard him enter the room and close the door, followed by the turning of a key and a lock springing into place. She stood up and moved to the side of his desk. He spun around quickly and his eyes narrowed as they fell upon her.

Miss Fortune spoke first. "That was a very nasty trick you played on me Dent. Not that it matters now. As if a bunch of policemen, a group of nurses and some injections could hold me down. I'm not much into rivalries though, so I thought I'd come to end it. You'd like that wouldn't you? A chance to see… What was her name… Rosie again."

"RACHEL!" He growled ferociously.

"Oh yeah, Rachel. Anyway, I don't really believe in an afterlife, do you?"

He didn't answer but instead he stormed over to her and grabbed her. "Do you really think I'd let you get away with this? No, the police and the nurses can't hold you. Cells can't hold you. But that doesn't mean you won't pay. And it'll be slow. And humiliating."

"Humiliating?" Miss Fortune asked, genuinely.

Dent laughed. "Just between you and me of course. I want you to tell me the truth about everything. All your little secrets. You can take them to the grave but I'll still be alive so I suppose you won't be around to be humiliated. Still, it'll make me feel a bit better, ruining your name forever. Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll let you die smiling, just like the Joker."

"How do you expect me to cooperate?" She asked, with a fake smirk.

"Oh, I don't." He replied and she gasped upon feeling a sharp pain in her arm. She looked down to see he'd injected her. The room was quickly becoming blurry. "That's what the injection is for." She slumped to the floor unconscious.

Dent didn't waste any time. He routed through his draws for some silver Duct tape to cover her mouth with in case she woke up on the way. He tied her hands and legs then walked over to one of his cupboards and took at a huge black bag that was long enough to fit her in.

"Where should I take you?" He said to himself, clutching her face between his fingers and panting heavily. "How about Avenue X? You'll like it there."

He made up his mind and carelessly dumped her body into the black bag, leaving a small gap for her to breathe through. He didn't want her dead… yet. He slung the bag over his shoulder and left, telling everyone he met on the way that he was going golfing. When he got into his car he threw the bag roughly into the back seat, leaving a bit more of a gap in the zip to be on the safe side.

He set off quickly, trying to manoeuvre through the streets as quickly as possible without attracting attention. When he was almost there Miss Fortune was beginning to stir. There was a tiny bit of light coming in through a small gap and it took her a while to realise she was tied up. She tried calling to see where he was but she found she couldn't move her lips. She growled but otherwise remained still and silent; she still felt groggy.

After a few minutes the car ground to a stop and she heard a car door slamming, then another door opening in the distance. She was left alone in the car for a few minutes in which she tried opening the zip with her nose but it didn't work as well as she'd hoped. It didn't work at all in fact. Eventually, she heard footsteps approaching the car. The door opened and Dent unzipped the bag, hauling her over his shoulder and purposely making her hit her head on the car door. She tried to shout but all that came out was a rough screech like a cat in pain.

Dent chuckled blackly to himself as he carried her into the building. In her last glimpse of the outside world she saw the Joker smirking at her. At least she knew it was going to work.

Dent shoved her onto a chair and tied her to it, so that her hands were behind her back.

"Where's your camera?" He asked. Miss Fortune tilted her head towards her holster and he took it out and turned it on her. "How does it feel to be the victim? Not so nice when it's you, is it?"

He ripped the tape off her mouth. She didn't make a noise but as her tongue gingerly traced her lips she could feel them bleeding from where the skin had been torn away.

"So, do you love him?" Dent asked. It was important to keep him talking and the Joker told her to answer each one but she really didn't want to.

"Who?" She asked dumbly, playing for time. Dent's fist collided with her face and she hadn't braced herself for the blow. Her head twisted so that her neck cricked but she ignored it and turned to face him. "Who?" She asked again. This time he slapped her so that she felt momentarily dazed and heard a ringing in her ear.

"The Joker." He replied bitterly.

This time, she braced herself. "What about him?"

"DON'T PLAY F**KING GAMES WITH ME!" He yelled, causing an echo. This time he punched her and completely burst her lip. Blood dripped slowly down her chin.

"Yummy." She murmured, running her tongue along her lip. He punched her eye. Deciding this wasn't enough, he grabbed her throat and squeezed. The blood rush to her brain made her feel light-headed and drowsy but when he cut off her oxygen supply she started to cough and splutter. He let her go.

"Should we try that again? How long can you hold your breath?" He took out a coin. "Heads and it's one minute. Tails and it's two."

"Okay." She replied. "I'll answer your question."

He waited, panting and glaring at her. "What is it?" She asked, causing him to swiftly wrap his hand around her neck once more. He let go when she started turning purple and she gasped for air.

"Do you love the Joker?" He asked plainly but angrily.

"Look…" She began, between breaths. "I… don't know. I don't know… what love is. It's just fun. It's not… like normal people. Do you… have to ask questions? Can't… you just… beat me up?"

"What's the problem?" He said his eyes scanning for a video camera, whilst still training the one in his hand onto Miss Fortune's face. "It's just us." He continued when he couldn't see one.

"I know." She replied carefully. "I don't talk… about feelings. To anyone."

She knew the Joker would kill her if she blew this. Dent continued. "So tell me exactly what it's like. I wouldn't know… being just a normal person."

She knew she could lie. She would have if the Joker wasn't listening. He was waiting for her answer too, probably laughing, and she'd rather tell Dent whilst being attacked then have to tell him while he's inches away from her, disabling her to think straight.

"Fun." She answered again.

"You don't seem to have much to say." He said bitterly, taking a large knife out of his pocket. "Does this help?"

He drew a shallow line across her cheek with the knife, slitting open the skin and causing her to wince.

"It's just exciting. He's really…" She struggled to find the word. She sighed, defeated. "Perfect, I suppose."

"How do you think he feels?" Dent said mockingly. She hissed. He was pushing her too far.

"I bet Rachel was glad I killed her, she probably wanted an excuse to get away from you." For that she received a slightly deeper cut on her arm. Her first thought was that if he carried on cutting her like this, she would definitely lose the fight against the Joker later. She couldn't help laughing.

"You think this is funny?" He asked incredulously, punching her face harder than the other times. He took off his tie and wrapped it around her neck, pulling tightly. "The police and the Batman may have been useless but I won't be. If you don't answer my next question, then I'll kill you straight away. You aren't as interesting as I'd thought you'd be."

He unwrapped the tie once her limbs started twitching. She drew in a huge breath which led to a coughing fit. She spent minutes coughing and gasping for more breath.

"Do you think he'll miss you when you're gone?"

Miss Fortune thought about this. "No."

Dent looked slightly taken aback. A second was as long as it took for him to remember Rachel at which point he sneered. No one loved Miss Fortune. He was loved though, he knew it. Not just Rachel but the people of Gotham that voted for him. People would mourn if he died. People would cheer if she died though, that he was sure of.

"Good." He replied. "Now, what is your real name?"


	10. Lust

Two in a day? Yep. Well, sort of. It's not the next chapter, sorry. I thought before I moved on some people may be wondering what was going through Miss Fortune's head as she was driving around in circles and before she moaned. It's only short but people said they liked the last one from her POV and also someone said that they felt shut out from the relationship. So here it is from her...

* * *

Lust. Don't talk to me about lust.

Yeah I used to pride myself on being emotionless. Thank God my lack of conscience has remained intact. My rage and desire to kill is as clear as ever. But some strange jigsaw piece slotted into me the first time I felt that man's hand on my arm and the first time I spun around to see his painted face close to mine.

He chose me.

He came up to me and contacted me and touched me and from that moment my life turned upside down. I feel vulnerable. I feel like at any moment I could break down. What is it? Is it my heart ruling my head?

No. It's a connection. I can't describe how it happened. I had seen him on the news and read about him in the paper and he held no interest for me like he was a part of a different world. It's hard to believe but I know it isn't just me. It's like gravity. It was just natural.

I see him in his suit and I want to touch his toned, pearly white skin underneath. I want to trace his muscles with my fingers and feel him tense the muscles in his arm. All this is going through me every time I see him. Not as words. I'm incapable of thinking words around him. Just a sort of violent buzz that shoots around various parts of my body like my chest and my stomach and my throat. I want to be able to wrap my arms around him. Just to TOUCH him.

I need it.

Whenever I see his dark, unreadable eyes surrounded by black coal I'm rendered incomprehensible. I can't speak. I can barely move. All I can do is stare. Like a rabbit caught in headlights. It takes every inch of me to control the adrenaline that blazes through me, hot and fast. My head goes fuzzy, my heart thumps manically and my breath comes harsh and ragged.

His beautiful red lips and scars curve into a smirk as his eyes watch me eagerly. Testing me. Seeing how far he can push me before I snap. His eyes are bright with electricity. They're alert. They examine every tiny movement I make. Every breath that catches in my throat.

Sometimes, I think he wants it just as much as me. Sometimes, I think he's stopping himself too. A game we could play forever and not get bored.

He drives me so crazy that I feel like I could explode from insanity at any moment. But it's not lust. Lust is just sex. Lust can be a one night stand with someone you hate by the morning. But it's not love. Love is pink and flowers and valentine's cards.

What we have is heat. Gravity pulling us towards each other. It's fire and explosions. It's torment and violence. The things we love most are the same things that we feel. Nothing with us could ever be serious and love and lust are serious.

What happened to me? I wish someone could help me understand what the hell is going on. Why I'm struck dumb. I can advance upon any other man in the world. But with him… With him…


End file.
